Photographer’s Note
The Akamba Handicraft Cooperative is a wood and stonecraft carving centre situated in Mombasa, Kenya. They manufacture and export fine wood carvings, animal sculptures and customised goods.
The society was set up in 1963 by 100 carving woodsmen. Since then, the organization has grown to include nearly 3000 wood and stone carvers in its main workshop in Mombasa, with a further 2000 contracted workers also on site.
All of the carvings are made by hand, to designs that come from the craftsmen's memories and which are based on whatever piece of wood or stone they have to hand, and therefore each creation is unique.
They sell 40% of their handicrafts locally, exporting the rest to Europe, South Africa and North America.
The Society is also establishing a nursery of neem wood trees to provide renewable sources of wood for the carvers.
Here, a woodcarver is creating a walking stick from rosewood.
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Photo Information
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Copyright: Richard Cooper Knight (cooperknights)
(387) - Genre: People
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2007-10-04
- Categories: Daily Life
- Camera: Cannon EOS 400D, Canon 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 II
- Exposure: f/5.6, 1/100 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Map: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Theme(s): Akamba [view contributor(s)]
- Date Submitted: 2007-11-24 2:08








